Other Voices On The General Assembly: 'Washington-style Politics'

April 21, 2006|By HARVEY B. MORGAN

The Virginia Constitution, Article IV, Sec. 12, states: "No law shall embrace more than one object, which shall be expressed in its title."

Perhaps the most important responsibility of the General Assembly is the passage of a two-year budget. Unlike 2004, when there was a significant shortfall and our AAA bond rating was threatened, this year Virginia has possibly the largest un- appropriated balance in history. Because of this surplus, the House Finance Committee appropriately rejected all proposals seeking an increase in taxes.

A portion of the surplus is earmarked for transportation, but much of it will be required to address the expensive state-mandated reassessment of school-age population growth. Also required are deposits for water quality improvement and replenishment of the "rainy day" fund. Add $200 million for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup, as well as ever-increasing Medicaid and other health- related costs, and not much of the surplus remains.

Critics have accused the House of short-changing core services by using part of the surplus for transportation. The facts prove otherwise.

The budget approved by the House of Delegates includes an additional $1.5 billion in new money, the largest single infusion of state dollars for public education. This amounts to a total increase in K-12 spending of 19 percent over the current biennial state plan and includes a pay raise for teachers identical to that proposed by Gov. Mark Warner.

The House budget also increases funding for health care by 18 percent, mental health by 24 percent, public safety by 15 percent, and colleges and universities by more than 20 percent. Specifically, community colleges receive $95 million in new money, a 14 percent increase over the previous budget. The goal of the Appropriations Committee is to provide adequate funding for existing services, rather than invest in new spending initiatives that would require sustained funding in the future.

In keeping with the one-object rule required by Virginia's constitution, all tax measures first must be approved as specific legislation before the anticipated revenue generated by such legislation can be appropriated. This is the time-tested model utilized by Govs. Mills Godwin, Gerald Baliles, George Allen and Jim Gilmore when advocating significant policy changes.

However, Senate leaders and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine are determined to bypass the legislative process and enact higher taxes within the budget document itself, clearly a violation of the constitution. This attempted log-rolling smacks of Washington-style politics and, if left unchallenged, may forever change a system of checks and balances that has worked well throughout Virginia's history.

The House has set aside $1.03 billion specifically for transportation and in an effort to break the deadlock, has offered a compromise that will expedite the completion of highway, port, rail and mass-transit projects across the commonwealth, including those designated by Congress that require matching funds. The proposal also provides funding for a Hampton Roads Transportation Investment Fund and a Northern Virginia Transportation Investment Fund to address the needs of those regions.

In summary, there are two fundamental reasons for the impasse: an attempted violation of the constitution and a tax increase in time of surplus.

Hence, the standoff.

Morgan represents the 98th district in the Virginia House of Delegates. The district includes Gloucester and Mathews. *